Why is this race important?
Voting problems in Detroit probably cost Democrats in Michigan the presidential election in 2016. The current Detroit City Clerk has a history of not being able to train her employees to handle routine issues. Polls open late, people with disabilities are not accommodated properly. Her office’s trainings do not cover even basic things that every poll worker should know. For instance, in Michigan, a picture ID is not required, but poll workers regularly turn voters away from voting if the voters do not have a picture ID.
We need every vote in Detroit, and Garlin Gilchrist is committed to fixing those voting issues.
“Our group (Support the Dream Defenders, #StDD) chose to support Garlin Gilchrist for the position of City Clerk, as we thought he was the best candidate for that very important job. Our own 2thanks did — and continues to do — a remarkable job working for Garlin and keeping us up to date on all news having to do with the campaign.” (JoanMar)
Day 3 of Recount
We are recounting the ballots in the city clerk election to deliver trust, transparency, and accountability to the voters of Detroit.
Here’s where we stand today:
Total unrecountable votes: 8,057.
8,057 unrecountable votes + 37,320 recounted votes = 45,377 total votes which the team attempted to recount.
8,057 divided by 45,377 is about 18%.
A quick estimate reveals that of about 100,000 votes cast in the Detroit city clerk election, about 18,000 Detroiters had their votes suppressed by the current city clerk.
(Please see Garlin’s email, below, for details.)
Today’s News: December 8, 2017
Garlin Gilchrist, who ran for Detroit City Clerk in the November 2017 election, sent the following email today:
“Day three of this recount showed exactly why so many Detroit voters question the integrity of their elections.
Under the watchful eyes of our committed volunteers, Wayne County Board of Canvassers staff discovered a sealed ballot box with no ballots inside.
Yes, you read that correctly. The container from precinct 156, which should have had more than 100 ballots in it, was empty, even though it was properly sealed.
That is outrageous and suspicious because on election night, after the ballots are counted, the containers with the votes are supposed to be sealed and not be opened again until the recount.
That empty box represents more than an unrecountable precinct. It is further confirmation of the degree to which the voting process overseen by the current City Clerk is a failure.
Revelations like this show why this effort to bring trust and transparency to the voting process is critical to democracy in Detroit. When people lose faith or don’t believe their vote will count, they become significantly less likely to vote. We must fix this process because increasing voter participation is critical to ensuring that our city’s future is bright and inclusive of all Detroiters. Any politician or process that damages voter trust must be held accountable and fixed.
Will you chip in $23—$1 for each unrecountable precinct/absentee vote counting board found thus far—to support ongoing work to hold the City Clerk accountable.
Yes, I’ll chip in.
At the end of the day, 37,320 total votes had been recounted according to our volunteers. The last of the 100 absentee vote counting boards (AVCBs) was processed, and the first 40 of the 60 Election Day precincts we requested were processed.
16 of the 100 AVCBs could not be recounted because the number of voters didn’t match the number of ballots. That is unacceptable.
7 of the first 40 Election Day precincts could not be recounted either. This too is unacceptable. That includes the aforementioned ballot box with no ballots, and also includes precinct 8, which was not recountable because the container had not been properly closed/sealed.
As a reminder, we are not actually conducting a full recount. There are 490 precincts and 100 AVCBs—590 total. We called for a recount of all 100 AVCBs and 60 precincts where voters and supporters documented issues at their polling locations. The fact that we are discovering this many precincts and AVCBs that are not recountable in this relatively small effort raises serious questions about the quality of the overall process. It is troubling to consider how many votes would not be recountable if a full recount was conducted.
Here’s the full set of unrecountable AVCBs and precincts:
Precinct/AVCB |
# votes not recountable |
AVCB 3 |
312 |
AVCB 7 |
382 |
AVCB 9 |
295 |
AVCB 20 |
179 |
AVCB 34 |
359 |
AVCB 38 |
582 |
AVCB 47 |
245 |
AVCB 58 |
403 |
AVCB 71 |
986 |
AVCB 72 |
623 |
AVCB 74 |
310 |
AVCB 88 |
371 |
AVCB 89 |
416 |
AVCB 95 |
308 |
AVCB 96 |
161 |
AVCB 98 |
375 |
Precinct 6 |
192 |
Precinct 8 |
203 |
Precinct 126 |
291 |
Precinct 156 |
141 |
Precinct 207 |
501 |
Precinct 224 |
80 |
Precinct 257 |
342 |
Click here to contribute $23—$1 for every unrecountable precinct or AVCB found thus far—to the ongoing accountability fight.
Thank you for standing TALL for transparency for the voters of Detroit.
Garlin”
Once again, thanks to many, many readers and members of Support the Dream Defenders who supported my stories and continue to support our efforts to ensure that the votes of all Detroiters are properly counted.
Power with, not power over,
2thanks
P.S. — Aretha speaks for me:
Edited: I moved the section “Why is this race important?” to the top of the story.